SME-endorsed safety initiative aims for zero fatalities in five years

The Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) announced Wednesday that its Board of Directors voted last month to endorse a safety initiative that aims for zero fatalities and a 50-percent injury rate reduction in five years (0:50:5).

The National Mining Association’s (NMA) CORESafety initiative is “an industry-wide partnership built on a foundation of leadership, culture and health and safety systems,” according to the initiative’s website.

The mining-focused initiative features four main improvement principles: plan, do, check and act. The principles are defined in 20 modules that each include performance expectations and timelines to help each organization reach the goal of zero fatalities.

“SME is proud to lend its support to the principles of NMA’s CORESafety initiative,” SME Executive Director David L. Kanagy said in a written statement. “We are committed to the issues of miner safety and health and are prepared to disseminate the initiative’s principles to the more than 15,000 SME members around the world.”